Pirate101 Adventures
by Matthew DragonBlade
Summary: Join Matthew Collins, Kayla Laverne, and Blake West; three young pirates, as they travel across the Spiral! Special Thanks to Destiny Devereaux for inspiring me to write this :D
1. Chapter 1: Attack on Fez

Attack on Fez

Matthew Collins was bored with his life in Krokotopia, for nothing ever happened in the coastal village of Fez. Fez was a small fishing/trading town on the mainland coast of Krokotopia. Fez had a small armed fort wall near the docks with a guarded gate to enter town. The center of town had a well for fresh water. The wooden docks had a few trade boats from Rosetta and Oasis, Krokotopia's major towns. A few white clouds speckled the clear blue skies.

Matthew had orange, shaggy hair, tan skin, and green eyes. He was sitting with his best friends, Blake West and Kayla Laverne, by the docks, their bare feet in the cool sea water. Blake had short, brown hair, pale skin and blue eyes while Kayla had long, Blond hair, tan skin and purple eyes.

Matthew all of a sudden saw a couple of mysterious ships on the horizon. "Guys, what is that mysterious ship? It has black round sails and gears," Matthew asked his friends.

"You guys, go warn the people. I'll go tell Lieutenant Washington," Blake responded.

The teenagers quickly stood up, slipped on their sandals and ran. Blake ran into the fort, while Kayla and Matthew ran into town square.

"Lieutenant Washington," Blake said, out of breath from running in the scorching dry heat.

"What is it, civilian," the Dog Lieutenant (Krokotopia is a colony of Marleybone) asked the twelve year old boy.

"Sir, some mysterious ships with black sails have been spotted in the sea," Blake answered.

"What? Let me see," Lt. Washington said, walking up to the cannon platform. "St Fido! The Armada…"

Meanwhile, Matthew and Kayla ran through the gates into town square. Traders from across the Spiral were selling goods in Market. Matthew rang the emergency bell.

"Attention!" Kayla yelled to attract the town's attention. "Some mysterious ships are approaching. If they breach the walls, you are all in danger!"

"Vill ve be able to sail away in our ships," asked a Bear trader from Grizzlehiem.

"No," replied Matthew, "the ships will destroy you."

As Matthew said this, the entire town of Fez went into panic. Just then, a group of five Redcoat Dogs came from the fort. They were running towards the square. "The Clockworks are coming! The Clockworks are coming! If you want to be safe, go into your homes!"

Then, Matthew, Kayla and Blake ran to their houses. The reptilian citizens ran into their homes as well. The foreign traders hid in the market stalls. The Redcoats manned the cannons.

A great battle took place in the harbor of Fez. The Armada fleet, led by Deacon, fired on the fort. The fort's cannons weren't able to hold the ships. The Armada's cannons took down the fort and Armada surged into the town, burning the market and innocent people's homes.

Matthew realized he had to do something. He grabbed his Witchdoctor staff and casted dark magic. His friends Blake and Kayla came out. The three teens were arrested and taken to Deacon's ship. Their crimes: Matthew Collins- arrested for using Hoodoo, Blake West- arrested for brawling with Armada troops, Kayla Laverne- arrested for Dueling while defending her friends' honor.

The teens eventually escaped that Autumn and became Pirates destined to stop The Armada from conquering the Spiral and discovering the Armada's true motives: El Dorado…


	2. Chapter 2: Escape from Deacon

Arrival in Skull Island

Deacon, the spymaster of Valencia's Armada, was in charge of the _Erebus_, an Armada Galleon and prison ship. He was standing on the deck of the ship as it sailed towards the passage from Trade Winds Seaway to Skull Island Seaway.

All of a sudden, the _Erebus_' Navigator stopped the ship. Deacon, in a rage, walked over. "What are you doing?! Make for Skull Island now! We need to destroy the pirate haven tonight!"

"Um… Sir… I'm afraid that isn't possible," the robotic navigator explained.

"Why not," Deacon asked impatiently.

"The passage to Skull Island is too dangerous, sir."

"What? The sky is blue and the sea's calm! What is so deadly?"

"Sir, they call it _Tempest Passage _for a reason. Conditions there can change in an instant. It can be sunny one minute, but stormy the next. We must wait until nightfall to pass safely."

"NO! We go NOW! I promised Kane I would have Skull Island on their knees by Midnight tonight! In order to make that possible, we MUST go NOW! If we don't, I will not get my needed Promotion."

"Deacon, sir, what is more important: your safety, or that promotion?"

"The PROMOTION, of course, is more important! Set sail NOW!'

"Alright sir," the navigator said, lifting an anchor. The ship sailed southwest towards Tempest Passage.

_Meanwhile, in the prison hold….._

11 year old Kayla Laverne and her friends Blake West, who is 12 and Matthew Collins, who is 11, were 3 of the many prisoners on the _Erebus_. They were human, unlike the others. Kayla's cell had a window to the outside. "Hey guys, we're nearing the passage to Skull Island," Kayla said, seeing Tempest Passage out her window.

"Tempest Passage is the deadliest strait in the Spiral!" Blake pointed out. "Storms can bubble up at any moment. My dad told me all the stories." Blake was just as terrified as Kayla and Matthew, but tried to act fearless.

The preteens were wearing the same clothes they had on the day they were captured in Krokotopia: sleeveless tunics, thin pants, and desert sandals. Kayla, being a girl, was really bothered by not having a bath in 5 weeks.

Tempest Passage was a narrow straight, surrounded by tall cliffs, making travel even more dangerous. As the _Erebus _entered the strait, the sunny blue sky streaked with puffy white clouds turned to grey, stormy clouds in minutes. The temperature dropped and the wind picked up. Not to mention, the sea was getting somewhat choppy

_On the deck…_

The Navigator of the _Erebus_ walked into Deacon's office.

"Sir, the weather has shifted quite dramatically," the navigator reported.

"Weather readings?" Deacon asked.

"Dropped from 1105 bars to 985 bars in 5 minutes, the wind is now at 50 knots, and temperature went from 88 degrees to 67 degrees"

"I don't think it's a problem. The _Erebus_ can withstand anything!"

_Meanwhile, in the Prison hold…_

The ship was rocking back and forth, left and right a lot, and it made Matthew quite seasick and nauseous. "What is going on outside, Kayla," a very disgusted Blake asked Kayla, whose cell had a window.

"I can hardly see anything," Kayla answered. "The rain is nearly horizontal and the waves are enormous!"

Just then, the walls started to creak. A bunch of cracks busted and the prison hold filled with water. Matthew, Kayla, and Blake swam to the surface, as the rest of the prisoners sank with the ship. The rain was still pouring and the waves took the three young humans under.

Matthew Collins was the first to wake up. He was on a white, sandy beach, surrounded by cliffs. His clothes were torn and his sandals were lost in the sea. The sun was shining, and a soft breeze rustled the palm trees. He coughed up lots of seawater and he stood up, very weakly. His whole body ached. As he looked around the Cove, Matthew noticed that the cliffs were thousands of feet high. The beach was maybe 100 feet long and about 50 feet from shore to the cliff base. As he looked across Tempest Passage, he saw the eastern cliffs. The beach was strewn with driftwood and metal bars, likely wreckage from the _Erebus._ Matthew tried to climb a palm tree, but he was too weak to do so, and fell onto the sand.

Just then, Kayla Laverne woke up. She brushed the sand out of her long, blond hair. Her clothes, unlike Matthew's, weren't very torn, but she did lose her shoes. Kayla was unable to stand for the crash broke her legs. As Kayla tried to stand, she screamed out in pain. Matthew, who was 35 feet away, got up out of the sand and rushed over, "Kayla, are you ok?"

"I'm fine, except my legs are broken. Have you seen Blake?" Kayla responded

"I haven't seen him. I took a walk around and haven't seen him."

Blake West woke up on a remote, small beach, with palm trees, and cliffs but was five miles southwest of Kayla and Matthew. His shirt was very torn and his pants were torn as well. He couldn't use his arms, for they were broken. To the south of Blake's beach, Blake could see a fortress, the Presidio. Blake knew that ships would be coming there from Puerto Mico. He just had to signal one, but that wouldn't be easy.

Meanwhile, Matthew and Kayla tried to make a fire. They used wood pieces from the _Erebus _wreckage. As Matthew built a fire, Kayla tried to catch fish.

"Matthew, look! A ship is coming!" Kayla shouted as she saw a Monquistan ship entering the passage. It was late morning, so travel was safe. The Monquistan ship saw the children and sailed close. A few monkeys entered a longboat and sailed over.

"Hola señor y señorita! Are you in need of rescue. We happen to notice you two on beach, making fire," one of the monkeys said. The monkeys weren't very fluent in English, so Matthew used his mediocre Spanish skills to communicate.

"Um… Señor… Nosotros necesitamos ser….. um… rescue?" Matthew said, attempting to say "_We need rescue"_ in Spanish.

"Que?" One of the monkeys asked, puzzled

"We need rescue!" Kayla said after a long pause.

"Que?" one of the monkeys asked his friends.

They whispered among themselves in Spanish, until a Monquistador in metal armor came out.

"What do you need?" He said in a thick Monquistan accent. "I know fluent English, unlike my dunderheaded crew."

"We need to get off this beach and find our friend," Kayla said.

"Ah. So where is your amigo?"

"We don't know," Matthew responded.

"Well, the currents around here flow southwest along the cliffs, by the Presidio. We should check the cliffs," the Monquistador captain suggested. Matthew and Kayla went on the _Santa Elena_, with help of course and followed the current southwestward.

Blake was unable to do anything, for his arms were broken. He was thirsty, for it was almost noon, and hunger started to overtake the twelve year old. All of a sudden, he saw a ship in the distance. "HEY! Over HERE!" Blake yelled at the top of his lungs, straining his dry throat.

On the _Santa Elena, _Kayla heard Blake's call. "That's our friend, Señor," she told the Monquistador Capitan. The captain sent out Monkeys to help Blake on. As soon as Blake was on the ship, Kayla ran to him. "I'm so glad you're okay," she said, hugging him. He realized they've been spending a lot of time together. Matthew liked Kayla, and seeing her with Blake so much upset him.

The Monkeys let them use some infirmary cots to rest after injury. That evening, the _Santa Elena_ arrived at Skull Island Town, where Capitan Ramirez sent them to Captain Horace Avery.

After a nice dinner, Captain Avery led the preteens to a couple rooms in his mansion until they could get a ship. Blake and Matthew would share a room, while Kayla had her own.

As Blake and Matthew got ready for bed, Matthew asked Blake a question. "It seems you're spending a lot more time with Kayla lately. Why is that?"

"Matthew, we're just close friends. I have no feelings for her!" Blake replied. "Just go to bed. It's late."


	3. Chapter 3: The Presidio Job

The Presidio Job:

The Frog Father's Office was eerie and creepy. The place was dark and cobwebs were all over the ceiling. Not to mention, there was a light misty fog in the room. Blake, Kayla and Matthew didn't feel comfortable in there, well, nobody did.

The Frog Father looked at the children. "So, what brings you here?" His voice was deep and sounded like he was from New Jersey.

"Umm, sir…. we wanted to…. ask… if you knew where… Ratbeard is…." Matthew said, nervously.

"Alright, I _could _tell you where Ratbeard is…."

"Tell us!" Kayla shouted impatiently

"Calm down, lass, I can tell you where he is. But I believe in _Quid Pro Quo,_ a favor for a favor, as the eagles say in Aquila. Go to the Presidio, north of Skull Island. It is a Monquistan Fortress. Go in and get the spices from the storehouse. If you do that, I will tell you where to find Ratbeard."

"Alright, we'll do it…" Blake said, trying to imitate the Frog Father's speech.

"Are you trying to mock me? Because you do a very good impression of me. Now, sail to the hidden dock on the south side of the Presidio. One of my associates is waiting there."

Blake, Kayla and Matthew got the crew (consisting of Bonnie Anne, Barnabus, Louis LeBisque, and Mormo) onto the _Blue Dolphin_, a creaky old raft from Captain Avery. As they sailed north, Blake wondered why Frog Father would hire kids to attack a Monquistan Fortress. _We're not even teenagers yet,_ Blake thought.

It was a breezy early December day, a cooler than average day in Skull Island.

Kayla walked up to Blake, who was steering. She put her arm around him. "You cold?" she asked sheepishly.

"Kayla, why would I be cold? It's 80 degrees today," Blake responded.

"I'm sorry," Kayla said, walking away sadly. She really liked Blake, but he only thought of her as a friend. She went to the front of the _Blue Dolphin_, where she could look out and find the Presidio. The waters were somewhat choppy and the air was foggy, not necessarily the best sailing conditions, but Kayla knew Blake could pull it off.

Matthew walked up to Kayla, looking a little pale from seasickness. "Feeling ok, Matthew?" Kayla asked, looking out at the clear blue sea.

"Yeah, I'm fine. The choppy seas are making me unbalanced," the eleven year old boy responded. "So, are we almost there?"

"Yes," Kayla responded. "You know, if you're going to be a pirate like Blake and I, you'll have to get over your seasickness."

"I know," Matthew laughed. "I noticed you've been acting strange lately around Blake. What's wrong?"

"Can you keep a secret?" Kayla asked seriously.

"Witchdoctor's Honor!" Matthew said, holding out his right hand.

"Alright," said Kayla, leaning in to Matthew. "I really like Blake. I don't think he feels the same about me," Kayla said, whispering into Matthew's ear.

Just then, they reached the south side of the Presidio. The crew tied the raft to a small, old dock. The beach was surrounded by small wooded cliffs. There was one small canyon, the entrance blocked by vines, that the crew figured is the way in. Blake and Barnabus used swords to clear the vines. The crew entered the Canyon and found a small frog.

" 'Ello! Yer all here!" the frog father's associate said in a thick Cockney accent. "Just down the path is the outer wall. You may meet sentries on the walls. All's quiet now, but if yer caught, silence them quickly. If they sound tha alarm, yer doomed!"

The crew walked a bit more until the full Presidio was in view. "There's the storehouse where the spices will be! We'll have to get into the courtyard to get it," Bonnie Anne said, spotting the storehouse down below

"I see the stairs, there!" Kayla said, pointing at the stairs. "Let's go," Kayla then strapped her rifle around her shoulder.

When they reached the wall, they had to time when the monkeys passed them and they would follow. They followed the guards around the first tower and took the wall to the stairs.

"Aw man! It's blocked!" Barnabus groaned seeing a stack of crates blocking the way.

"No worries. We can avoid it!" Blake said. Blake then jumped down into the courtyard. The wall was only about seven feet tall, "it's easy."

jumped down the ten foot wall.

"This wall is so short!" Louis whispered in a Polarian Accent.

"Well, this is Monkey Fort. Monkeys small," Mormo laughed logically.

The crew of seven advanced into the storeroom. In the back was the spices, locked behind a gate.

Matthew got on his knees and tried to open it. "Ugh! Locked! So much for the easy way!" He whispered, standing up.

"Maybe there's a key in the barracks," Kayla suggested.

"Let's try to get there without getting the guard's attention," Blake said as the exited.

"Oh great! The little blighters found us!" Bonnie Anne shouted, seeing the guards waiting for us in the courtyard.

The crew got out their weapons. They sliced, diced, shot, and cursed the monkeys until the courtyard was empty.

The Barracks was free of guards too, but the two cells in it were not. One of them had a small Guinea Pig in Valencian clothing. The other cell had a human girl of about thirteen years old. She was dressed in mostly brown and red, wearing a top hat as well. Her hair was long and black and her skin was very tan.

Kayla recognized the Guinea Pig immediately. "Oh is that you?!" The Guinea Pig asked in a thick Valencian accent, apparently recognizing the nearly twelve year old girl.

After a conversation with the Guinea Pig, who's name was Gaspard DeVole, she apparently met him ten years ago. Gaspard also knew Kayla's parents.

Meanwhile, Blake went to go talk to the girl. The Girl's name was Destiny Devereaux. She was also on a mission to get spices from the Presidio.

Matthew, during this time, was looking for a key to the spices. "You need a key?" Gaspard asked the pirates. "The Commander upstairs has a key for every lock in this fort! If you free me and Destiny, we can show you a secret way out!"

The Seven walked up the stairs and opened the door. They drew their weapons. "Give us your key, now, or die!" Blake shouted dramatically.

"Ha! You think you can steal from the Crown of Monquista? I will dispatch you with _irresistible _force!" the commander, El Nebuloso laughed, attacking the pirates. The pirate crew only focused on Commander Nebuloso, and he eventually surrendered. "Here, take my keys, not me!" the Commander said, almost dead.

The Pirates rushed downstairs and unlocked Gaspard DeVole and Destiny Devereaux. The ex-prisoners grabbed their weapons and followed the others to the storehouse. In the storehouse, guards were waiting, but they were easily defeated.

Matthew used the key and unlocked the gate. "Aha!" he said. There were nine bags of spices. One for each pirate.

"Now," Kayla began. "Where's this secret exit?"

Gaspard stroked his cool moustache and pointed at the grate on the floor where the spices were.

Everyone grabbed a bag and went into the grate. Blake, Matthew, Kayla, Destiny, Bonnie Anne, and Mormo had little problems getting in. Barnabus and Louis were able to squeeze in. They followed the passage to another grate. They could see the sun shining in. Mormo opened the grate and everyone climbed out.

Luckily, the exit was at the secret dock. Everyone loaded the spice bags onto the _Blue Dolphin_ and sailed back to Jonah Town in the sunset.


	4. Chapter 4: Into The Fire!

Into the Fire!

As the crew came above the jungle canopy, the wind increased. The January sky was nearly cloudless and the wind was strong, making the air feel chilly. All of a sudden Matthew and Blake began shivering, for they were used to the warm, humid weather Skull Island usually has.

"Look at the view! Captain, I hope you're not afraid of heights!" Bonnie Anne said, admiring the view from 2,000 feet above sea level.

Kayla Laverne agreed that the view was beautiful, but seeing how far down everything else was made her uncomfortable, for she has a deathly fear of heights.

Matthew Collins and Blake West, Kayla's co-captains and childhood friends, were walking towards the edge of the path up Mauna Waponi. "Kayla, you have to see this view!" Blake called to Kayla.

"Nah," Kayla replied, trying to mask her fear.

"Suit yourself," Matthew responded, admiring the view.

"Alright guys," Gaspar deVole began in his squeaky, Valencian accent, "the view here is quite lovely, but we must continue up the path, so we can stop Ratbeard and get Gunn's Gold!"

Kayla sighed as the crew continued up the black, stony volcano path. The path went into the volcano, the stone made a narrow bridge over the lava below. Here, the crew needed to be careful, for if the crew went all at once, the bridge would collapse, causing them to burn in lava. Lava Fish then swam up from the lava, blocking the path. As the crew attacked, Kayla was in constant fear of falling into the lava.

After the Lava Fish were dead, the crew continued upwards. The path went out onto a wooden platform where a Waponi Fire Cult was occurring. The witchdoctors were harvesting lava from the walls. During this battle, Kayla continued to worry about falling 2000 feet to the jungle floor.

"Guys, we're almost at the summit!" Blake said excitedly.

"You guys go ahead. I think I dropped something along the path. It may take a while, so don't wait for me. I'll see you guys back at the ship," Kayla lied.

"Bye Kayla!" everyone else said as Kayla started walking downhill.

"Blake, I'm gonna go help her," Destiny Devereaux, who had been quiet this whole time said to her new friend.

Destiny ran after Kayla. "Hi Kayla," she said as Destiny caught up.

"Shouldn't you be helping the boys?" Kayla asked.

"Nah, I thought I'd help you. So what do you need help finding?"

Kayla's eyes started watering. She then sat down on the stony path.

"What's wrong? Is the gusty wind making your eyes water?" Destiny asked.

"No, I lied about losing something."

"Are you nervous about the battle…." Destiny began

"NO!" Kayla interrupted. "I have a horrible fear of heights! Laugh at me all you want. Just don't tell Blake and Matthew. They won't understand." Kayla continued to cry.

"Kayla, everyone has some crazy irrational fear. It's nothing to be too upset about."

"Nobody else has a fear as intense as mine. I bet Blake doesn't have any fears at all!"

"Everyone has some fear. I'm afraid of skeletons!"

"I bet Old Scratch freaks you out," Kayla smiled.

"He sure does. We should head back to the docks. By the way, your secret's safe with me. And please don't tell Old Scratch that he freaks me out."

"Your secret's safe with me." Kayla said standing up.

The girls then walked down the mountain.

_Meanwhile, at the Volcano's Summit:_

The crew, excluding Destiny and Kayla, had reached the top of the Volcano. Some Waponi Water Moles were tossing gold coins into the caldera. Matthew and Gaspar almost cried at the loss of gold. There was a large, overweight Sumo Waponi in the center of the Fire Ritual platform. Some witchdoctors were doing an ancient, traditional dance for the Fire God. Blake thought that the gold was an offering for the Waponi's Fire God. The most amusing thing was Ratbeard hanging over the large caldera. Louis leBisque, Mormo and Barnabas laughed at the sight.

"Ugu! Goonigoogoo!" The Sumo Water Mole, Chumba Wumba shouted.

The crew members instinctively knew to only attack Chumba Wumba. They shot, cursed, jabbed, stabbed, sliced, and diced the big Water Mole.

"He gets knocked down, but he gets back up again!" Bonnie Anne shouted over the loud noises of lava and wind.

"We'll never keep 'im down!" Old Scratch remarked.

"The Idols," Ratbeard yelled from the hanging rope. "Break 'is Idols and ye breaks 'is will! Smash 'em quick!"

The crew split up and charged through Waponis to get to the tiki idols at each of the 4 corners of the ritual platform. As the idols were smashed, Chumba Wumba no longer had the will to fight. The other Waponis darted away in fear. The injured crew members, Gaspar deVole and Old Scratch, were guided to a Life Fountain by Bonnie Anne.

"Ratbeard, I know you've lied, cheated, backstabbed..." Matthew began talking to the rat.

"I get your point, I'm a horrible person. Get on with it, Lad!" Ratbeard interrupted the 11 year old boy.

"Thanks for helping us beat them."

"What was I supposed to do, help the ones who betrayed me?"

"Seems you got a taste of your own medicine," Barnabus snickered.

Ratbeard, although nearly sixty years old, was able to get untied and onto safe ground.

"You have a lot of explaining to do, Rat," Blake said with crossed arms

"Listen, I know I've done many wrongs in my past."

"We ALL know!" Mormo, Barnabus, and Louis said in unison.

"But, I'm willing to change my ways and help you. I'll even let you have all that's left of Gunn's Gold."

"I'm all for second chances. You guys?" Matthew asked.

"I guess so. But If he makes one wrong move, he's exiled…" Barnabus said ominously

"Mormo supposes he can deal with filthy old rat."

"I guess so, If they agree!" Louis agreed

"Alright Ratty, I guess you're on the team," Blake said, shaking Ratbeard's hook hand.

"Hey! Here's the Monquistan Chalice Avery wanted!" Matthew said while filling his pockets with gold. Everyone else carried gold. Ratbeard desperately wanted some, but his _new_ conscience told him to hold back

Ratbeard walked with the others down the trail as the sun set in Skull Island….


	5. Chapter 5: Heart of Darkness

Ch 5: Into the Heart of Darkness

The crew (or what remained of it) woke up in the village of Gortez' Kingdom. Gortez' new culture resembled aboriginal Water-Mole as well as Aztecan, but with Monquistan influence due to Gortez. He had built an intricate city-state in a small valley in the center of the Isle of Doom called the Gold Monkey.

Kayla was the last to wake up. Blake, Matthew, and Destiny were preparing for the battle with Gortez that his civilization didn't know about.

Today was Kayla's twelfth birthday. As she walked out of the hut, the air felt humid and foggy, the ground wet from tropical rains. Kayla wondered if anyone remembered her birthday. She walked over to Blake, her boyfriend, who was sharpening his sword by the Rio Oro (Gold River). "Hey Blake," She said, straightening her hair.

"Hi Kayla! What's up?" her friend and co-captain replied

"Do you know what today is?"

"Yea," Blake began, "It's the day we take Gortez back to Puerto Mico and get that treaty signed." Blake said that last sentence in a whisper as to not alarm the people of the Gold Monkey.

Kayla sighed and walked over to Matthew, who was sanding his wooden staff in the hut he shared with Blake. "Matt, do you know what today is, other than the day we capture Gortez?"

"No, not really. I guess it's the day we free ourselves of this dense jungle. It isn't doing a good thing for us!" Matthew said swatting a mosquito.

Kayla exited the hut and went over to Destiny, her only human friend that was a girl, who was preparing breakfast by the city fire pit.

"Hi Kayla! Did you sleep okay?"

"Yea, those mosquitoes are really bothersome though."

"Yes, they are very annoying! How's it going with Blake?" Destiny cut a mango with her dagger and put it in the stew.

"OK. It's been a week and it's getting kind of awkward. I just don't want Matthew to know. I can tell he likes me. So, do you know what is special about today?" Kayla asked, grinning

"Yes, I do! It's the day we finally stop bothering with Monquistan politics! I mean the governor in Puerto Mico is kind of whacko. Luckily, Matthew knows Monquistan well enough to communicate. Can you tell the boys that it's time for breakfast?"

"Sure," Kayla sighed. As she walked over to Blake and Matt, she said to herself, "I guess my friends didn't remember my birthday."

"Ok. As soon as we get access to Gortez, we attack him. Got it," Blake whispered to his companions Matthew, Kayla and Destiny.

"Yep," they whispered in unison.

"If you want to visit Gortez, you must prove worthy. Anyone who is not of our civilization must die. Go to the village arena and face Ordaz in combat. He is a mighty sumo warrior!" Aguirre said. Blake nodded as accepting the quest. "We will then need some spider eggs from the ruins across the Rio Oro. You will need to be agile and smart." Matthew and Destiny nodded to accept this quest. "The hardest of all these tasks is to go into the Cave of Voices and touch the pink crystals. You will hear voices that go deep into your memories and touch your inner soul." The pirates looked at each other and finally Kayla nodded to accept the final task.

Blake and Kayla walked north to do their tasks. As Blake was about to walk off to the arena, the couple hugged. "Good luck," Kayla said tousling his dark brown hair.

Blake and Kayla then parted ways. Blake entered the arena, which was a foggy jungle clearing with obstacles. A large water mole was there ready to fight the twelve year old boy. "You come to face Ordaz?! Come get some!" Ordaz said.

Blake took out his sword and jumped into battle. The air was hot and humid, and it was a spring day. Blake spent most of the time running from Ordaz. Blake sat down behind a wood barrier to think out a plan. A lot of civilians had gathered to watch the fight. Blake took of his jacket while thinking. "Where are you coward?! Ordaz wants to hurt you!" Blake thought of a fast plan to take him down with pebbles, remembering a story from Aquila about a young eagle taking down a huge colossus. Blake smeared his cheeks with some mud and grabbed some pebbles and walked out. Ordaz had his back to Blake. Blake tossed some pebbles to annoy him. "Who is doing this to Ordaz?!" Ordaz raged, turning around. "There you are! Ordaz crush you!" Ordaz began charging at him. Blake threw pebbles at his face, huring his eyes. Ordaz didn't see a wooden barrier in the way, which he smashed into. Ordaz fell down. "Never has Ordaz been defeated like this! You must be a mighty warrior!" Ordaz said in painful defeat

Meanwhile, Kayla entered the Cave of Voices. She felt a magical presence in the cave as she approached the large pink crystals. She touched the central crystal and felt a chill down her spine as the magic pulled her heartstrings. She started tearing up as she heard her parents voices. "Hear us daughter…"

"Mom, is that you?" Kayla asked the crystal voices

"Hear us… Happy birthday daughter…."

"That's the first time someone said that to me today." Kayla said sarcastically.

"Daughter, we are proud of you…. Shining city…. El Dorado…. Find us in El Dorado…. Gate to El Dorado is in…"

There was a 30 second pause. "Where is the gate to El Dorado?! Mom? Dad? Answer me! Please!" Kayla fell to her knees, her legs went weak. She cried until she felt a fuzzy hand.

"Hello, Kayla. The crystals do that to people. Bring out people from their deepest memories and project their voices," Balboa, one of the monkeys said. He helped up the girl and walked her over to where Blake was. Kayla noticed her boyfriend drenched in sweat and mud. He was putting his jacket back on over his sleeveless shirt

"You ok, Blake?" Kayla giggled.

"Yea, I'm fine. I just need a bath." Blake laughed.

Meanwhile, Matthew and Destiny crossed the Rio Oro to the south. The Aztecan ruins there were covered in spider webs and spider mothers were sleeping in the hot sun. "You go over there and I'll go to the far end," Destiny suggested. Matthew nodded in agreement. Matthew cleared away some tangled spider webs to get to a building that lost it's roof and some walls. There was a nest of eggs near a sleeping spider mother. Matthew slowly tiptoed over to the nest and grabbed the eggs. He almost tripped on a thick silky web strand, but kept the eggs safe in his pockets. He quickly and quietly dashed away from the spiders. Destiny was hiding in a palm tree looking over another nest. She had a rope tied around her waist and another end to the tree. "If I'm gonna take some spider eggs, I need to _be _a spider," Destiny whispered with a grin. She lowered herself down to the nest on the dirt ground and grabbed the eggs quickly. Destiny noticed the spider's eyes start to open. She quickly pulled herself back up on the string. "Hoist successful!" she thought to herself. She met up with Matthew and together they had collected an octet of eggs. They met up with Kayla and Blake back at the village.

"Remember, you do not talk to Gortez, you listen to him," Balboa said as a final warning to the young pirates while he opened the gate that led to the bridge leading east to Gortez' palace.

The group walked across the bridge over the Rio Oro to the great temple. The group went up the stairs. The temple was so high; Matthew could see the jungle sprawling across the Valley of Gold and a hint of the sea that was several miles off.

There was a large, but thin, wooden door. Blake kicked it and it shattered into splinters. They walked in the dark temple. It was dusty, muggy and smelled like rotten banana peels. All of a sudden, torches illuminated the room. Gortez was a huge gorilla and was sitting on a high Aztecan altar at the center of the chamber. Blake was beginning to rethink his plan.

"Still think we can take him?" Matthew asked quietly.

"No," Blake responded. "Gortez! Stand down and we may spare you! Fight, and we kill you!" Blake shouted at the huge king.

Kayla, Matthew and Destiny all glared at Blake, mad at him for shouting at someone who could slice them all in one shot.

"Ha! You PUNY humans think you can defeat me?! I am ten times your size! I have armor of pure gold and all you have are ripped jackets and pants! I will not even take the few seconds it would take to destroy you all!"

"Blake, are you INSANE?!" Matthew almost yelled at his best friend. "That guy could kill us all in one slice! I thought we were gonna reason with him."

"Matt, do you REALLY think, Gortez will listen to reason? This is a champion Monquistador that has lived in the jungle for a year. He's basically mad with insanity by this point." Blake was ready to slap his younger friend in the face.

"Calm down guys," Kayla began. "We're all a little tense from the jungle and the Malaria. We can take him though. See the vines up there?" Kayla pointed up.

"Great idea sweetie…" Blake began

"Wait, '_Sweetie_'? What is going on?!" Matthew interrupted. Kayla buried her face in her hands after glaring at her boyfriend.

"Sorry," Blake whispered. "Were they not supposed to know?"

"YES! Our… thing… was supposed to be secret! You know how Matthew gets with this kind of stuff…"

"Guys, we have a more pressing matter at hand then young love!" Destiny pointed to a sleeping Gortez on his throne. "We can get to those vines via the small stone stairway."

"Um, that's pretty narrow. We may fall," Matthew observed.

"Good point. We can walk sideways with our backs to the wall," Blake suggested.

"Brilliant, sweetie!" Kayla hugged Blake while Matthew gagged.

The group slowly made it up to a ledge where the vines were. "Ok, we'll grab these and go down to Gortez. Kayla, you can fire at him with your gun from here. Matthew you can stay with Kayla and send voodoo blasts to Gortez. Me and Blake will go to hand to hand combat with the gorilla." Destiny announced the plan to the team. Blake and Destiny grabbed vines and swung down to Gortez who was still asleep. They landed on his pedestal and started attacking him, Kayla began firing at Gortez and Matthew was summoning spirits and demons to damage Gortez. Gortez awoke from pain and saw multiple attacks headed towards him. Gortez stood up and beat his chest. He grabbed his large axe and swung it to hit Destiny and Blake.

"Watch out!" Matthew called to his comrades down below.

Destiny heard Matt's call just in time and ducked, only a little hair was sliced off. Blake was hit pretty hard by the hilt though and he fell off the pedestal onto the main temple floor. Kayla ran down to see if her sweetie was ok. Gortez was laughing at his possible kill. Matthew noticed Gortez wasn't paying attention. The eleven year old grabbed a vine and swung down right into Gortez, his feet kicking into the Ape's armored head. Matt's blow made Gortez stumble down to the main floor. Matthew and Destiny continued bashing Gortez when Gortez' Water Mole and Monkey minions entered. "Oh gosh," Matthew sighed. "Kayla, we need you to help us!"

"I need to see if Blake is ok!" Kayla shouted, trying to revive her dead boyfriend.

"Why did I not think of this sooner?" Destiny said dodging spears and arrows. Destiny cast a Reinforce spell that healed everyone greatly. Both Blake and Kayla rejoined and took down Gortez. The total fight was twenty minutes long. The minions surrendered when they saw their leader fall. They didn't need to chain the gorilla, he willingly let the children take him back to the _Blue Dolphin_ in defeat.

The sun was setting when Blake, Kayla, Matt, and Destiny, accompanied by Gortez, reached the western shores of the Isle of Doom. "Hmm… Where's all the crew members?" Blake asked, walking up the ramp to the deck. Just then, a bunch of barrels on deck opened, revealing the crew!

"SURPRISE!" Everyone yelled. The musketeers fired confetti out of their guns.

"All this? For me? I thought you guys forgot about my twelfth birthday!" Kayla said in shock.

"Did you really think we forgot?" Matt asked

"Why would we forget our friend's birthday?" Destiny asked, hugging Kayla.

"Our companions being 'horribly wounded' was a ploy. We sent them back to prepare for the party!" Blake explained. "May not've been the best idea considering Gortez basically killed me…"

The pirates allowed Gortez to party with them until it was time to be locked up in the hold


End file.
